


Bloody Gesture

by IstTyrr



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Blood and Injury, Established Relationship, F/M, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 17:17:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11902428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IstTyrr/pseuds/IstTyrr
Summary: Estinne decides to take matters into her own hands at Gréf's Rest.Something I would have liked to be an option in-game, turned into a story.With my thanks toDrackfor their support and feedback. :)





	Bloody Gesture

Snow had fallen over Stalwart like a comfortable blanket. Sitting at a vantage point, amid the cluster of pines that covered the foot of the hill, Estinne had a view of the entire village and the river beyond. Lifting her gaze to the sky, endless stars confronted her on this cloudless night. Yet the air was freezing and the cold ground chilled her to the bone. The blood on her nose had long since dried but the smoke rising from her clay pipe, made her nostrils sting. She could still taste the rust of it and her hands trembled with the thought of what she had done.

It was not that she had not fought more than one man alone before. It's just that this time it was raw; there was no tactic, no song, no thought. She had just rushed headlong into it, with fist and dagger. Estinne took off her leather gloves and passed her fingers over the chafed knuckles of her other hand. _Cirono_ , they were sore! Her whole body was; she could feel every bruise from every punch she received. She hugged her knees to herself, hoping to keep warm.  
  
As soon as their group went into Gréf's Rest, she had recognised it. _Orlan's Head_. Estinne felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach at the sight of the thing. A crude caricature of an orlan, etched on a wooden board and scarred from the many knives thrown at it. Only, in her mind's eye, it wasn't just any orlan. It was Hiravias, staring back at her from eyes that had been gouged out, ears cut from the root, nose missing. And she saw red.  
  
"It's just a game", those _postenagos_ had said.  
In the slums and parlours of Corse, where she had grown up, it was a game too. With real orlans as the targets. Never in public though, oh no. Everything that was taboo, was a high stake game in Vailia, played behind closed doors. The only trace of it was the blood that had to be cleaned off the tavern's wooden floor in the morning.  
Shame. It burned almost as hot as rage. The knowledge of what she had seen and what she had tolerated as a Vailian. That she came from a place where Hiravias would have been shipped in the cargo hold and dragged in chains to live the rest of his years in humiliation and servitude.  
   
It wasn't the drink and it wasn't the sleeplessness. She was angry and that anger had made her stupid. When everyone had gone to sleep, she had lunged at the men. It was a good thing that nobody had been killed in the scuff. That would have landed her in a whole another level of mess. Estinne balled her hands into fists. She did not regret what she had done. The only thing that mattered to her was finally taking that damn thing off the wall and feeding it to the fireplace. No more games.

"You know, if this is your idea of hiding, perhaps I could teach you a few tricks..."  
Estinne whipped around, startled. There was no way he could have walked on the snowy ground without making noise. Yet there he was.  
Hiravias folded his hands on his chest and smiled. But although his face was mirth-filled, his eye held something else: Anger? Concern?

Estinne pulled the pipe out of her mouth and gave him a small smile, as he walked the distance between them and sat down next to her with a deep sigh.

"So," he said, brushing his shoulder against hers, "what happened back there?" His breath came out frosty between them.  
She turned to face him and was certain that whatever emotion ate away at her soul was just written there in her eyes. She could feel them burning with the onset of tears. She might as well have spilled her guts to him. But before she could even speak a word, his face turned somber and he grasped at her jaw.

"You're a mess!" he intoned, bringing her close, eye darting over her with concern. He withdrew his hand and patted at the various pouches around his tunic, humming to himself. Eventually he discovered a, mostly clean, cloth in the depths of a pocket and holding it open in his hand, he scooped up and rubbed some snow on it.

Catching his intention, Estinne made a move to grab the cloth but he resisted, pulling away with a smirk. She gave him a dubious look but it melted away as he passed a hand behind her head. Tilting to get a better look, he dabbed away at the blood above her upper lip.

"You know _why_ I did it", she sniffled when he was almost done cleaning her, "I thought being with us would protect you from having to deal with _mierda_ like that."  
She looked away. "And I didn't want you to see that it hurt me. I wanted to be like you, brush it off with an annoyed joke. I wanted you to think that, by now, my skin had grown thick enough to not let such things through. But," she trailed staring back at him, "I didn't pull it off. Not tonight."

Hiravias smiled; A smile that was halfway caring and halfway joyous.  
He pulled her to him, holding her head between his hands, as he closed his eye and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Young Estinne" he mused, as if to himself; Meeting her lips with a brief open-mouthed kiss that left her breathless. It wasn't that they hadn't kissed before, once or twice. But whenever it happened, it always had the same effect on her. Unphased, he gave her a grave look, squeezing her face.  
"Never do that again. _Ever._ " he begged, his voice both angry and gentle, "Next time you want to beat someone up, _call_ me. Or Edér. Or Maneha. What are we following you around for?"  
She felt some semblance of words bubbling up her throat, but before she could speak them, he caught her lips with his some more, in a couple of quick kisses. Then he caressed her cheek with his thumb, and a smirk tugged one corner of his mouth.

"It's freezing out here! Should I save a spot for you beside the fire?" He said, supporting himself on her shoulder as he got up. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your hiding place."  
She saw the mischief return to his countenance and she couldn't help but smile back.  
"I'll be there soon, _aimore_. I promise."


End file.
